Today I did something I’ve never done before: I made
homemade Italian sausage, using my Kitchenaid mixer and food grinder
attachment. And, it was super easy! I will probably never BUY Italian sausage
ever again! It was fun, too.
You should be aware that I’ve had my Kitchenaid professional
mixer for at least 10 years (I bought a refurbished one) and have hardly ever
used it, because I dislike using machines when I can do a task by hand. That’s
getting more difficult to do these days, however, since the arthritis in my
hands has moved to a new level. I decided I might as well use the mixer and
attachments I invested so much cash in. After all, I can just toss everything
in the dishwasher when I’m done. I also have a manual meat grinder I can use if
I wish. I bought mine at Value Village in Kent, Washington last year for five
bucks! It’s exactly like the one my Grandma Rose used to have, and I may even
have hers around here somewhere. I decided to use the Kitchenaid just because,
and also because I don’t have a kid available to turn the crank for me while I
stuff meat down the hopper. I’m certain I’m coordinated enough to do both tasks
at once, but then why not just use the Kitchenaid?
I decided to make my own Italian sausage, because the local
supermarkets frustrate me, having been spoiled by shopping in the big city—the
closest store, not counting the Imnaha Store and Grill (2 ½ miles), is 28 miles
from my house. If you are a purist, making your own is also the only way to get
away from nitrites, which have been implicated in cancer. Safeway in
Enterprise, Oregon (34 miles) does sell Italian sausage, but the time I bought theirs
it had hardly any flavor. To be fair, they also sell Johnsonville Italian
sausage, which is acceptably tasty. The Mt. Joseph Grocery in Joseph, Oregon (28
miles) has wonderful, locally-made Italian sausage—when you can get it, but
their butcher doesn’t make it all the time, I learned to my dismay. Fortunately,
they also sell the Johnsonville brand, which is kept in the frozen food case. I
decided I might as well try my hand at making it, since I enjoy cooking and
being self-sufficient is more important out here. You can’t just run to the
corner market when you run out of something. The Imnaha Store and Grill does have
milk and eggs, but most of what they sell is camp and snack-type food for
tourists. They also sell soda pop, beer, and bait.
I’m sure I will need to make several batches before I’m
satisfied with the mix of seasonings in my own sausage, but that’s all right.
I’m in control now. I bought a 6.79 lb. chunk of pork shoulder when I shopped
at Safeway the other day, which cost me $13.98 ($1.99/lb.). I had to bone it
out (Roxi was thrilled about that—I sent her off to the back yard with her
prize), and I did carve off the fat from the one side, only to finally grind it
up too, since the ground meat looked too lean without it. Grinding up the meat
took maybe five minutes at most. Then I tossed all the ingredients in a 4-qt
bowl, mixed them up by hand, covered the bowl and placed it in the
refrigerator. Clean up amounted to disassembling the grinder, putting all the
parts in the dishwasher, and wiping down the counter. Tomorrow I shall cook up
a portion of it to see how it tastes and make any adjustments before packaging
up the rest to store in the freezer. Then I will make lasagna. Here’s the
recipe I used today, which I adapted from several different ones I found
online:
Homemade
Italian Sausage
2 lb. ground pork shoulder
1 tsp black pepper (freshly ground, if possible)
1 ½ tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried garlic powder (or substitute 2 Tbsp fresh garlic,
minced—about 4-6 cloves)
1 Tbsp dried parsley (or substitute ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley)
1 Tbsp dried red pepper flakes (use more or less, to taste)
1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and crushed (or substitute anise
seeds)
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp minced dried onion (or substitute one small onion,
minced)
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp dry red wine (optional)
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and store
overnight in the refrigerator (24 hours is best) so flavors meld. Be sure to brown
meat in a skillet before using. Use for any recipe requiring Italian sausage
that is not in casings.* You can put it into casings too, if you prefer, using
the stuffer attachment on the meat grinder.
*Note: This would be nice used in lasagna, jambalaya, or
stuffed baked zucchini, for example. I also like to use it for part of the ground
meat in my Grandma Rose’s Meatloaf recipe.
